Everything you need to know about dividing garden plants
Dividing plants is a clever gardening technique that involves separating a plant in half to create a new plant for free.
Most perennials benefit from division every two to three years to maintain health and vigor, ensuring they look and perform their best. Dividing a plant can also help it from spreading too vigorously.
From hostas to lavender, keep reading for everything you need to know about dividing plants correctly — including the best time of year to do so.
When should you divide plants?
"Plants can be divided successfully at almost any time if they are kept well-watered afterward," says the RHS. "Division is most successful when the plants are not in active growth."
Spring-flowering plants will take better to division at a different time of year to summer-flowering plants, for example.
"Spring flowering plants should be divided when they begin to produce new roots, usually in the summer after they have finished flowering," says Graham Smith MCIHort, gardening expert at LBS Horticulture.
Whereas "summer flowering plants should be divided in spring or autumn, but only if the soil is dry enough to work with. If the soil feels too wet, it is best to wait until spring, especially for tender plants."
Whichever plant you choose to divide, the most important thing to remember is to water them well. And when replanting the divisions, this should be done as soon as possible, to stop them from drying out.
"If you want to increase the number of plants you have by dividing them, the task can be done more regularly," says the RHS.
When to divide hosta plants?
"Generally, hostas can grow into large, beautiful plants that won't need dividing at all, but if you do want to prevent overcrowding, make space for other plants and get plants for free - then dividing is an excellent way to do that," says Morris Hankinson, Director of Hopes Grove Nurseries.
"Hostas should ideally be divided in spring as they produce new growth, or in late autumn when growth will start to slow," adds Graham.
Small, fibrous-rooted plants such as hostas can be lifted and carefully pulled apart. This should produce small clumps for replanting.
"After dividing, the parent plant and the division should be replanted immediately, or plant the divisions into pots at the original depth they were planted at before being dug up," Graham continues. And if you are growing hostas in pots, these will fill their space much faster, so they should be divided every three years or so, or moved to a larger pot to accommodate them.
When to divide rhubarb plants?
Rhubarb plants can also be divided. If your rhubarb leaves are crowded, this is a tell-tale sign it's time to divide.
As with any plant you plan on dividing, you should only choose healthy plants to stop the spread of viruses. Any decayed or diseased parts of the plant should also be removed.
"Rhubarb plants should be divided between mid-autumn and early spring, ideally around November when the entire clump will be dormant," adds Graham.
When to divide lavender plants?
"Lavender plants can also be propagated by dividing their roots," says Graham. "In early spring or autumn, lift the root ball of the plant from the ground with a spade and then divide it into two pieces.
"The divisions should be replanted a sufficient distance away from each other so that they have space to grow, and do not plant them too densely."
It's only possible to divide lavender if it is rooted in several places in the ground. "As lavender is a woody plant, it is much better to propagate it by taking cuttings instead."
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